No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

 I must admit that I love chiffon cakes and if you have been following my blog, you will notice that I have blogged many chiffon cake recipes.  Chiffon cakes are light and refreshing and they do stay soft and moist even after a few days stored in the refrigertor.   A plus point is that my family members do not get bored with chiffon cakes for they love them as much as I do! Cocoa Nutella Chiffon Cake ~  可可榛子酱 戚风蛋糕   (adapted from 'here'  with adjustments) Ingredients (A) 98 gm hot water 45 gm cocoa powder 45 gm Nutella 1.1/2 tsp vanilla (B) 6 large egg yolks 45 gm caster sugar 3/4 tsp salt 75 gm vegetable oil 75 gm milk 135 gm plain flour )  Whisk and mix 15 gm cornflour     )  thoroughly (C) 6 large egg whites 90 gm caster sugar 1.1/2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice OR 3/4 tsp cream of tartar Method Mix (A) thoroughly and set aside With a ball whisk, whisk egg yolks and sugar till creamy, add in salt, oil and milk. ...

I have seen quite a number of Oreo cookies recipes on the internet and was curious about the taste and texture of crushed Oreo cookies in a cake.  So the only way to satisfy my curiosity is therefore to give it a try.   It wasn't a disappointment at all as the cake turned out soft and moist and I'm sure that it will be a favourite amongst kids and adults alike! Oreo marble butter cake ~奥利奥牛油蛋糕            (adapted from   'here' ) Ingredients (A) 4 egg yolks 80 gm caster sugar 1/3 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla (I used vanilla paste) 200 gmm unsalted butter, cut into cubes 160 gm plain flour (sifted) 100 ml milk 1 pack Oreo cookies (137 gm) (B)     4 egg whites            90 gm caster sugar (original 100 gm) Method Remove cream from Oreo cookies, blend till fine, set aside. Using a handheld whisk, beat egg yolks, salt and sugar till thick and creamy. Beat in bu...

This is one of the most popular Butter Cake recipes among fellow bloggers and I've read many reviews about this cake.  Credit must be given to Mrs S K Ng for so generously sharing her recipe.   This cake is moist, fluffy, soft, not overly sweet and the texture is just right.  Must admit that this is the best butter cake that I've ever tasted.  I tweaked the recipe to make a Marble Butter Cake instead. So glad to see that there weren't any cracks on the surface although it rose slightly in the middle. Marble Butter Cake ~   大理石牛油蛋糕      Ingredients (A) 230 gm butter 150 gm vanilla/caster sugar 200 gm self-raising flour 4 egg yolks   (I used 68 gm eggs with shell) 60 ml milk 1 tsp vanilla essence 8 gm chocolate powder a pinch of salt (B) 4 egg whites 30 gm vanilla/caster sugar Method 1.     Line the base of an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper, grease and dust th...

I've never done any bakes without using eggs as an ingredient and when I saw a recipe of eggless muffins on FB, I was curious to find out about the taste, texture, etc.  So without much hesitation and as all the ingredients were at hand, I gave this recipe a go and the result....... soft, moist muffins with pretty swirls! Recipe for Eggless Zebra Muffins ~    无蛋斑马玛芬     ( adapted from  'here' ) Dry Ingredients 195 gm plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda a pinch of salt 2 Tbsp skimmed milk powder Wet Ingredients 250 ml milk 2 tsp vinegar 1/4 cup oil 140 gm brown sugar 1/4 cup hot water 1 Tbsp vanilla Chocolate layer 2 Tbsp cocoa powder 1.1/2 Tbsp hot water Method Mix vinegar and milk in a bowl, set aside. Sift or whisk flour, milk powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside. In another bowl, whisk brown sugar, hot water, oil and vanilla thoroughly.  Then mix in the milk...

I was contemplating whether to unmould this chiffon cake by  hand  or with a thin palette knife and after deliberating for a while, I decided to give unmoulding by hand, a try.   To my pleasant surprise the cake was dislodged quite easily and there weren't any unsightly patches.  I had to wait 2 hours to let the cake cool completely before unmoulding.  This is a moist, light chiffon with a good taste of Rum, just what I need with my hot cup of tea! Recipe for Mocha Chiffon Cake ~  摩卡戚风蛋糕 (adapted from 'here' ) Ingredients (A) 6 egg yolks 4.1/2 Tbsp caster sugar 6 Tbsp canola oil 1.1/2 Tbsp Rum 120 gm plain flour 3/8 tsp baking powder 1.1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder  1.1/2 Tbsp coffee 75 ml hot water (B) 6 egg whites 6 Tbsp caster sugar 3/8 tsp cream of tartar Method Dissolve the cocoa and coffee powder in hot water, mix well, set aside. Sift plain flour,baking powder into a mixing bowl.  Add in the egg yolks,...

This Japanese Black Pearl Chiffon Cake has been baked by many bloggers and all of them gave the thumbs up for this recipe.  So, how can I give this a miss it and not try it out myself.   I was so pleased with the result and the cake stayed moist and soft even after being kept refrigerated for a couple of days.  Definitely a keeper recipe!   Recipe for Japanese Black Pearl Chiffon Cake ~  (adapted from   'here' ) 日式黑珍珠戚风蛋糕 Ingredients  (A)                                          5 egg yolks 60 ml corn/canola oil 100 ml milk 130 gm dark cooking chocolate 55 gm plain flour 25 gm cocoa powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder Snow powder and choc chips for decoration (optional) (B) 5 egg whites 80 gm caster sugar 1/2 tsp lemon juice 1/4 tsp salt Method Melt cooking chocolate in a double bo...

The method of preparing this Choc Banana Tea Bread is somewhat similar to preparing muffins and you needn't have to use your stand or handheld mixer.  All you need to do is just to mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, pour into a pan and bake.  I enjoyed it when taken warm especially the crunchy sweet sugary top! Recipe for Chocolate Banana Bread ~  巧克力香蕉面 包 Ingredients 113 gm unsalted butter, melted and cooled 230 gm plain flour 30 gm unsweetened cocoa powder 130 gm caster sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/8  tsp salt 100 gm dark chocolate chips 2 eggs lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla 454 gm,  net wt., very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed Demerara sugar or coarse brown sugar (optional) Method Grease and flour a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.  Set aside. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt ...

Today I'm sharing with you a two flavoured muffin and undoubtedly coffee and chocolate is a perfect match.   To give more oomph to these muffins I added in some chocolate bits and these mufins are best served on the day of baking. Recipe for Mocha Muffins ~  咖啡满 芬   (   adapted from 'here' with modifications) Ingredients 1/2 cup Buttermilk 2 eggs 1/2 cup oil 1/4 cup black coffee 1 tsp vanilla 225 gm plain flour 10 gm unsweetened cocoa powder 120 gm brown sugar 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda a pinch of salt 100 gm coarsely chopped lightly roasted walnuts 100 gm dark choc bits Method Sift or whisk flour with cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.  Mix in the brown sugar and chopped nuts. With a hand whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil, coffee and vanilla. With a spatula, fold  the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Add in the choc bits.  Fold till just combined. Using ...